Animal feeds for herbivorous animals

Abstract

Animal feeds for herbivorous animals from the group consisting of cattle, pigs, horses, sheep, goats and fowl are provided containing the feed ingredients normally eaten by such animals and sodium diacetate intimately mixed therewith in sufficient amount to serve as an attractant and to enhance the taste thresholds of said feeds.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows: 
     
       1. An animal feed for herbivorous animals selected from the group consisting of cattle, pigs, horses, sheep, goats and fowl consisting essentially of one or more feed ingredients normally eaten by cattle, pigs, horses, sheeps, goats and fowl, and sodium diacetate intimately mixed with said feed ingredients in sufficient amount to serve as an attractant and to enhance the taste threshhold of said feed. 
     
     
       2. An animal feed as claimed in claim 10 in which the amount of sodium diacetate is within the range of 0.05% to 1.5% by weight of the total feed. 
     
     
       3. An animal feed as claimed in claim 10 which contains roughage. 
     
     
       4. An animal feed as claimed in claim 1 in which the feed ingredients are those normally eaten by a beef animal. 
     
     
       5. An animal feed as claimed in claim 1 in which the feed ingredients are those normally eaten by dairy cows. 
     
     
       6. An animal feed as claimed in claim 1 in which the feed ingredients are those normally eaten by pigs. 
     
     
       7. An animal feed as claimed in claim 1 in which the feed ingredients are those normally eaten by fowl. 
     
     
       8. An animal feed as claimed in claim 1 in which the feed ingredients are those normally eaten by turkeys. 
     
     
       9. An animal feed as claimed in claim 1 in which the feed ingredients are those normally eaten by chickens. 
     
     
       10. An animal feed as claimed in claim 1 in which the quantity of sodium diacetate is up to 0.2% by weight of the total feed. 
     
     
       11. An animal feed for feeding herbivorous animals selected from the group consisting of cattle, pigs, horses, sheep, goats and fowl, said feed consisting essentially of one or more of the ingredients corn, hay, alfalfa, corn silage, soybean meal, meat meal, fish meal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, minerals and vitamins normally eaten by such animals and sodium diacetate intimately mixed with said feed in sufficient amount to serve as an attractant and to enhance the taste threshold of said feed. 
     
     
       12. An animal feed as claimed in claim 11 in which the quantity of sodium diacetate does not exceed 0.2% by weight of the total feed. 
     
     
       13. An animal feed for cattle as claimed in claim 11 in the form of a feed supplement consisting essentially of ground corn, alfalfa meal, soybean meal, minerals and vitamins intimately mixed with sodium diacetate. 
     
     
       14. An animal feed for fowl as claimed in claim 11 consisting essentially of ground corn, soybean meal, meat meal, fish meal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, minerals and vitamins intimately mixed with sodium diacetate.